


Thunder in your ear

by melissa_42



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-29
Updated: 2010-05-29
Packaged: 2017-10-19 04:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/196767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melissa_42/pseuds/melissa_42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lambo is tired of no one taking him seriously.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thunder in your ear

**Author's Note:**

> Fanart is by z_hard @ LJ. Contains some violence, but it's not too graphic.

It was five o’clock in the afternoon, and Lambo was pouting in a non-descript ramen shop somewhere in downtown Namimori. Behind the counter, I-pin washed one of the heavy woks, her braids swinging back and forth with the force of her scrubbing. She looked up and wiped some sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

“I know you’re frustrated, Lambo, but Sawada-san means well. He just doesn’t want to see you get hurt.” She sighed. “If you really want him to rely on you more, then stop crying and prove that you’re just as capable as the other guardians.”

“I’m not crying.” Lambo sniffled. “And how am I supposed to show him that if he won’t even give me any jobs outside the office? He and the rest of the guardians had already been through the Ring Conflict and defeated Byakuran by the time they were my age.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, Lambo. Just be patient.”

“I’m tired of being patient!” Lambo whined and slumped onto the counter.

Giving her friend a pitying look, I-pin went back to doing the dishes. She worked in silence for a few minutes until her boss, a stout, slightly balding man, peeked his head out from the kitchen.

“I-pin, I have an order for three of the specials for you to deliver. Here’s the address,” he said, handing her a slip of paper. “And tell your cow friend to get his greasy face off my counter.”

“Sure thing, boss.” She followed him back into the kitchen and returned a minute later with two plastic bags full of carry-out. “Lambo, do you want to come with me? My shift is up after this delivery.”

“Hmm, I guess so.” He followed her out of the shop with the owner muttering something about ‘good-for-nothing bums’ behind him.

I-pin handed him one of the bags and squinted at the directions. “I’ve never had an order from here before. I don’t think it’s that far; we can walk.” She glanced at the sky. “Although we’d better hurry. It looks like it’s going to rain soon.”

They walked down the block side by side until I-pin turned left at one of the stoplights. She led them on a zig-zagging journey through the city, choosing the route with just a glance at the street signs.

Lambo thought back to ten years before, back when they were just kids goofing off in Vongola Tenth’s house. I-pin’s eyesight had been atrocious back then; she’d confused him with a giant stalk of broccoli numerous times. He chuckled at the memory, earning a confused smile from the girl next to him.

It had been easy back then, so easy to be young and naïve, to think they were on top of the world. Ten years ago, he’d felt like the center of attention; now, he had to fight for every last scrap of recognition from his Vongola brothers and sisters, sometimes even from I-pin. He wanted her to see him as the man he strived to be, not as the snot nosed toddler she’d grown up with. Yet no matter how hard he tried, everyone still brushed him off as if he was just a nuisance. How was he supposed to show everyone what he was really capable of when no one bothered to give him the time of day?

Lost in thought, he almost didn’t notice that I-pin had stopped until she grabbed his cow-print sleeve and pulled him toward the doorway.

“Get your head out of the clouds, silly,” she said with a grin. “We’re here.”

He looked up. They had ended up in one of the more rundown parts of town. The dilapidated buildings reminded him of Kokuyo Land, and he was glad he’d tagged along. I-pin was strong, but the thought of her wandering around a place like this alone made his stomach churn.

She pressed the intercom and waited until a light crackle came out of the speaker.

“Yes?”

“I’m here to deliver an order for Chou-san from Happy Times Ramen.”

Lambo snickered at the name but was silenced by a glare from I-pin.

“Ah, please come up to number 204. It’s on the second floor.” The intercom made an obnoxious buzz, and they heard the lock on the door unlatch. Up the stairwell and down the hall, they stopped by the door with the correct tarnished brass numbers screwed to the wood. When I-pin knocked, it was immediately opened by a thin, middle aged woman with short, jet-black hair.

The woman frowned. “I thought Happy Times only had one delivery worker.”

I-pin smiled. “That’s right. My friend is just tagging along.”

“Ah, well, do you mind stepping inside? I need to get my wallet.” The woman opened the door wider and ushered them in. From the hallway, they could see two beefy men playing poker at the kitchen table.

“Do you mind if I assume that your name is I-pin?” the woman asked, rummaging through her purse. “I heard from a friend that you were a good delivery girl. Very quick.”

“What does it matter to you?” Lambo stepped in front of I-pin.

“Oh, Lambo, stop being such a pain.” I-pin said, smacking the boy’s shoulder before replying to the question. “Yes, and thank you. It’s nice to know I have a good reputation.”

Lambo rubbed his arm and glared at I-pin. He was just concerned; she didn’t need to hit him so _hard_. Sometimes it seemed like she forgot her own strength.

“Yes, a very good reputation,” the woman murmured as she finally pulled out her wallet. Behind her, the men had stopped playing and were staring at the group in the foyer.

“Why don’t you stay for a glass of water? I noticed it’s raining now; you could wait here until it let’s up, if you’d like?” The woman ushered them into the kitchen.

“Wait, we should get goi—“

“Lambo! Stop being so rude!” I-pin turned to the customer. “Thank you very much for your hospitality. I’m sorry, but it’s probably better if we leave now before the storm blows in.” She bowed and set the bag on the floor, gesturing for Lambo to do the same.

The woman nodded almost imperceptibly at the men. “One last question: do you know anything about a man named Fon?”

I-pin’s eyes widened. “How do you know about maste—!” She was cut off as one of the men lunged at her, barely missing her legs as she quickly leapt back. The other man tried to grab Lambo’s arm, but he ducked and kicked the man in the shin, with no effect.

“Lambo, let’s go!” I-pin shouted, bolting for the door. He followed, hot on the tips of her flying braids as they raced down the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. The woman and her grunts ran after them at breakneck speed.

Once they had made it to the ground level and crashed through the door, I-pin and Lambo both turned left and raced back the way they had come. The rain was coming down much harder now, and the billowing thunderhead above boded even worse to come. Rounding a corner, I-pin dashed down the street, a splash of rainwater flying up with every step. Behind her, Lambo clutched at the stitch in his side and wheezed. He hadn’t sprinted this fast in a long time, and it was already beginning to show.

Over the howl of the wind, he heard the woman scream, “Don’t think you can get away!”

If he hadn’t been panting for breath, Lambo would have laughed at how cliché her shouts sounded. As it was, he nearly missed I-pin making another turn ahead of him.

“Are you doing okay, Lambo?” she asked, turning her head to look at him as she kept running.

“Ah….Y….Yeah….” His voice betrayed him, and I-pin came to a halt.

“We’ll fight,” she said, balling her fists by her sides.

Lambo leaned on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. “W—What? I thought you didn’t fight anymore.”

“Well, I’m a little rusty, but we’ll never shake them off at this rate.” Lambo could practically hear the unsaid, ‘because you’re too slow,” and he grimaced.

“Signor Gokudera’s apartment is on the west side of downtown. You should be able to make it there in a few minutes if you run fast,” Lambo said, pulling his horns out of his pockets and planting them in his hair. “I’ll stay here and distract them.”

“Lambo, stop trying to act cool—“

“I’m not trying to act _cool_. You’ll be able to get to safety faster if you don’t have me holding you back. Besides, we need to let the other guardians know that someone is after one of the Arcobaleno.” He turned to I-pin and winked. “Don’t worry about me.”

I-pin rolled her eyes. “Don’t think your charm will work on me. Two against three are better odds than one against three. Besides—“

  


  


  


  
Just then, their pursuers rounded the corner, stopping at the end of the street. The woman nodded at the two men and stalked slowly toward the teenagers alone. She stopped about ten meters away.

“Don’t be scared, I-pin. We just want to ask you a few questions about your teacher,” she said with a wide smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Just a few questions my ass,” Lambo muttered. “Do you think you can take the men by yourself, I-pin?”

“Of course. Good luck, Lambo!” she said before dashing off to the right, dodging the woman’s pounce as she leapt towards the men at the end of the alley.

Lambo didn’t bother to watch her fight—he was already charging the short haired woman with his head down. The woman easily deflected him, shoving him into one of the brick walls. Although he didn’t know much about martial arts, Lambo could tell from the efficiency of her movements that she was a practitioner, though her style was different from the one I-pin used. Luckily he was unfazed by the impact, thanks to the years of abuse he had endured as a kid. He checked briefly to make sure I-pin was far enough away before grounding himself and using Thunder Set. A blinding bolt of lightning lit up the sky, entering the top of Lambo’s head and crackling into the wet pavement at his feet. The woman screamed in shock, but Lambo had conducted most of the charge into his horns, leaving her with little more damage than a slight frizz at the tips of her hair.

To his right, he could hear the grunts and groans of I-pin’s opponents, but he didn’t have time to check on her because the woman was lunging at him again, her hands taut in a claw-like position. She grabbed the muscle on his forearm just below his elbow, squeezing it in a vice grip for a second before leaping back out of range.

Lambo faltered and was barely able to catch himself on one knee. The pain in his elbow was like nothing he had experienced before—it was as if the joint had been ripped apart, sending red hot flashes up and down the nerves in his arm. Gritting his teeth, he tried to focus through the pain. There hadn’t been time for him to react before, and the lightning was still popping and snapping in his horns.

He was ready this time, though. The woman leapt at him again, grabbing his shoulder in the same grip as before. Just as another sharp pain shot through his body, he released the electrical charge using Elettrico Cornuta, watching as the woman’s limbs convulsed with the shock. When her grip tightened spasmodically on his shoulder, he nearly blacked out with her. He kicked her away, collapsing on the ground next to her and panting with exertion.

“Lambo! Are you okay?” I-pin shouted as she raced over to her fallen friend. She sounded alright, so Lambo assumed her fight had gone well.

He didn’t trust himself to move his head without sending another wave of pain through his body, so he just responded with a rough “Yeah,” and closed his eyes. His body twitched reflexively when I-pin laid a gentle hand on his damaged arm, and he heard her gasp.

“I wonder if she was using _Chin Na_ —it looks like your tendons are damaged,” she said.

Lambo groaned. “My cell phone’s in my left pants pocket. Can you call one of the other guardians for me?” He winced. “And maybe an ambulance, too.”

I-pin reached into his pocket with deft fingers and pulled out the phone. Slipping off the electricity-resistant cover, she quickly searched through the address book before lifting the receiver to her ear.

“Gokudera-san? Lambo and I got ourselves into a little trouble...” She quickly gave the older man a brief rundown of what had just happened and directions to their location. Once she had hung up, she smoothed a hand across Lambo’s forehead.

“We’re going to have to get you to a traditional Chinese medical practitioner. I doubt anyone at the hospital will know how to rebalance your _qi_.”

“Uggh. Good to know.” Lambo cracked open one eye just in time to catch the soft smile that slid across I-pin’s face.

“You did a good job, Lambo. I’m sure Sawada-san would be proud to have you as one of his guardians.” She scritched her fingers into his thick hair. “ _I’m_ proud of you.”

“Th-thanks, I-pin. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt,” he replied, trying to grin back at her but only succeeding in grimacing.

They waited together in the pattering rain until Gokudera finally arrived with Yamamoto at the scene in a pair of black sedans. The men praised the teenagers for a job well done, carefully laying Lambo in the backseat with his head resting on I-pin’s lap before loading the three attackers into the other vehicle to take back for questioning once they regained consciousness. Despite the edgy nerves in his arm and the ringing in his ears, Lambo almost thought the pain was worth it to feel the warmth of I-pin’s body as she tried to distract him from his injuries.

Well, maybe not quite, but almost.


End file.
